Brandon Chu
Materiality
Creating new textiles that make science-fiction a reality has always been the end goal and using a background in material chemistry helped break that barrier. This collection scratches the surface of textile innovation and presents a start to a new world of fantastical textiles. Lenticular imaging has been an overlooked printing artform, and the main innovation of this collection is the translation of it into textile form.
The fabric prints have dancing crossdressers and queer codes used by prior generations of the community. The prints themselves are more human than machine and hide many queer codes within the prints adding a little human touch to the beautiful but cold world of technological textiles. Ultimately, the collection introduces the combination of science and self and is what Brandon Chu will bring to the fashion industry.
How to Make a Simple Lenticular Lens
How to Make Lenticular Fabric
The company that I worked with is called OK3D. We used a special printing process with a UV off-set printer.
DESIGN PROCESS
I wanted this look to replicate the act of cottaging by recreating bathroom tiles with the hard lenticulars paired with the fabric bolero to better show-case the soft lenticular fabric with the same motif animation. The tiled effect also creates the peek-a-boo effect of one’s crotch similar to cruising. Notice the toilet seats on each leg! Also, to tie it closer to the modern gay issues, I used both male, female, and gender neutral icons in my animated textiles. Trans rights and bathroom accessibility is important and the gay community has always been harassed around bathroom rights. Cruising has probably negatively contributed to societies view on bathroom issues and presents a common flaw within the gay community underpinning trans people specifically of color for cis-gay culture. While the outside world has more to learn and accept, the gay community also needs to works as hard as they do when they create elaborate multi-generational codes for cottaging to find a way to cruise and not undermine trans people’s safety.
DESIGN PROCESS
In the 1920’s an French artist named George Goussat aka “Sem” was a common painter of the Belle Epoque ballroom scenes. One day he just so happed to capture a cross-dressing convention and paints them nonetheless. The prominent masculine features and his crude description of them as transvestites provides proof of their existence and assembly. There is a whole series of paintings featuring this event. Often times when I learn of these gatherings such as cross-dressing balls or vogue balls (watch Paris is Burning if you want to learn more) and envision myself there.
I wanted to recreate the same animated dancing that the bathroom prints did and translate them into the dance of that time (1920’s). I rigged up the painted cross-dressers to dance on the fabric and to frame them I wanted to recreate the draped curtains and flamboyant decorum that accompany these balls. To modernize it, I added a scrappy thong and accentuates the transition of queer expression and codes from putting on elaborate gowns to wearing skimpy outfits.
DESIGN PROCESS
Along side the historical context of the hanky code, the print I created has many queer symbols that are modern, non-verbal versions of queer culture. Some symbols such as the Grindr logo are more explicit while some are more subtle like the use of the pansy flower or lilac both of which closely tied to homosexuality. To pay homage to original group who created the queer code, I tried to incorporate a harness motif on one style of paisley. There are several other gay codes sprinkled throughout the paisley print creating a search and find game. Cruise for the symbols.
DESIGN PROCESS
I wanted to make a big winter trench coat that represents that heart-breaking winter weight gays prepared for. To tie it to my lenticular textiles, I placed 5 Castro clones on the front of the coat in a trompe d’oeil effect representing the camp adoption of masculine roles. When viewed they flicker between the different clones and represents the flickering facade that is masculinity and insane fragility of life in the 80s because of the AIDs crisis.
DESIGN PROCESS
I wanted to make a big winter trench coat that represents that heart-breaking winter weight gays prepared for. To tie it to my lenticular textiles, I placed 5 Castro clones on the front of the coat in a trompe d’oeil effect representing the camp adoption of masculine roles. When viewed they flicker between the different clones and represents the flickering facade that is masculinity and insane fragility of life in the 80s because of the AIDs crisis.
Bio
Brandon Chu is a cross-dressing twink who tinkers with technological textiles. He graduated from Parsons in 2022 and studied chemical engineering throughout his degree as a visiting student at colleges including NYU and Thomas Nelson Community colleget On the side, he performs in drag and does sewing commissions for drag queens which inspires his designs and work. In the future, he wants to open a textile business that engineers textiles of science fiction and fantastical performative effect. These textiles can be shared to uplift other designers and collaborate to elevate fashion to a modern world.